Thought history, modern art has been labeled an array of things: Kitsch, degenerate, illustrative, advance, beastly with low-brow sensibilities. These labels are taxonomies in disguised to grapple with art historical misunderstanding and critical taste. Decoupling other criteria with hierarchical deformities is how we understand modern art, as a whole.
Moreover in contemporary art, the shock of the new becomes a zero sum value proposition engagement. This occurs when discussing art in the public sphere. Such discussions adhere to values imposed by societal norms and aid towards understanding art for the sake of itself. How do regular folks read modern art?
Whether our critical framework is informed by modern/post-modern/economical or philosophical traditions. Finding critical benchmarks to measure how we understand and accept contemporary art without aesthetic bias, is about education and acceptance.
As a matter of fact, modernism exist between two camps. Modernity, from 1865 to 1947 and post-modernity beginning around 1950 to current epoch. Contemporary art circles around both eras with imploding narratives to settle the score behind: “Who gets to call it art“.
For example, Manet’s Olympia once labeled a horrific showing of painterly grotesquely. Is consider a masterpiece in today’s Western cannon. What set of circumstantial historical occurrences must go on within modern art to dethrone class over kitsch? A: The advancement of art in the age of mechanical reproduction is worth considering. AI significantly impacts this progression. The proliferation between media and propaganda also presents notable ideas to consider.
Line, shape, form, texture, composition, color and theory give rise to censorial sensations from within the body politic. First(I, alone in my studio)person narration informing past lives with extraterrestrial connections. Second and third (between two ferns-SDC and GPBW) scriptures are further developed. Amplifying our discussion between contemporary art and post-modernist anxieties with existential narratives. While socialist communism does exist whether behind an Eastern wall or in Nihilist China. The problem with contemporary art has and will forever be a matter to deal between subject matter and values. Communist regimes have ways to entangle how low brow kitsch expressions are presented in public. One often opts for social realist examples. It is important to understand how to view the figure properly, beyond its meaning and idolizing icon.
Art Journal essay driven formula. Developing and formulating arts, culture, technology and design editorials for creative smart masses.
Art Gallery — Contemporary Third Person Narrative Overview: Theosophy, a continuation.
–Salvador DC: Artist Statement Third Body Politic.
Works on paper masterworks by contemporary artist, Salvador DC.
DSC gestures are mathematical doodles on paper using non-traditional materials. Sharpies, pilot pens, color pencils, stencil, prismacolor markers, graphite, watercolor and dollar store materials with explosive narratives, in disguised. These drawings are drawn to allow expressive subject matter to merge itself between abstraction theory and shape. Coalescing marks give rise to line, shape, texture, value, color and composition. Moreover, dollar store graphics are ephemeral shape symbols to connect art with spiritual values. Where export meets artistic goods, beyond the factory socialist floor, we go.
Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neoplatonism and Indian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Although many adherents maintain that Theosophy is not a religion, it is variably categorized by religious scholars as both a new religious movement and a form of occultism from within Western esotericism. Source-Wikipedia
This drawing was created by an anonymous sketch artist on the subway. The artist decided to relinquish the work for free. I created abstract shapes around the artist portrait drawing to symbolize thoughts after scanning the work on my flat-bed scanner. Further developing the work using Photoshop CC.
Modern art reflects societal expressions with candor and metaphor. Meaning, one must understand past lives along with arming ourselves with ideas, wisdom, and strength. To find solutions imposed on the artist by norms, laws, and structures regarding high vs low. Consider this: What set of criteria were used in making these works? How did these attributes lead to a low-brow grade by academic standards? Does the use of dollar store materials aid or devalue these freedom of expression works set against social realism values. Finding equality and wisdom are drawn together and aid towards finding meaning in the work.
From Kitsch to Sotheby. Works between modern to post-modern sensibility of taste. At the time of creation these images were seen as degenerate, tasteless renditions with pulp like male angst. Today, critical reasoning has undergone a major ideological shift. The age of mechanical reproduction allows us to read these paintings and works on paper doodles as equal. To those religious images we used to worship some time ago. Before God was killed, by some.
Because our society created reproducible mechanical systems. These include Technology, Pulp, Media, and Imagery. Modern cultural norms allowed prostitution to become normative forms of expression. In retrospect Manet’s Olympia is the first feminist picture ever created. Her gaze is confident, jarring and confrontational. Unlike her academic rivals, Manet was creating art at a time when painting was beginning to break free. Photography reproduces nature subjects with better detail.
Medium: Watercolor, photography collage doodles on a digital tablet painting software: Adobe Freso. Sourcing sensual modernist anxiety with representational female nude. The artist arrives at power of divinity via figurative to abstract language, rather than objectification sources. Some see pornography objectified. Nevertheless for me, these images elevate what are otherwise seen as dismissive values in art.
Does the market via it’s shock of the new introduces society to see beyond the norm?
Western values differ from other cultural traditions. In the West, we value intellectual freedom of expression. Specially when critiquing social realism with nihilism at scale. Contemporary art denotes these values for pragmatic approaches. Democracy seen through three branches of government: Executive, Legislature and Judicial respectively. Constitutional authority is then and then, delegated to become lawful alphabet federal systems. Maintaining intelligence briefing’s to understand how to better govern the flock. At scale things get wonky for some, but not all Americans see it this way. Art criticism remains both partisan and unbiased modes of interpretation when arguing truth to power constructs.
At some point during the late 20th Century, figuration and printmaking was coined “Illustrative” hacks, lacking progressive ideas. Social realism aside, figuration can be use as a weapon of mass destruction enlightenment against tradition. Manet, Currin and Courbet are notable examples were figuration signifies freedom forces for good.
Reliable Sources:
At last an incredibly readable book about the London art world. For every long word there are dozens of short ones. It’s a map of the mind, a journey to the heart of darkness, a step in a puddle, a ride on a tour boat, a week in traction. Learn lots of things and be entertained as well.
From the anguished screaming tortured canvases of Francis Bacon to the witty ironic twirling sliced farmyard animals of Damien Hirst, let Matthew Collings take you by the hand and gently guide you through art’s Yellow Pages.
As presented by Blavatsky, Theosophy teaches that there is an ancient and secretive brotherhood of spiritual adepts known as the Masters, who are found around the world but primarily centered in Tibet.
These Masters were alleged by Blavatsky to have cultivated great wisdom and supernatural powers, and Theosophists believe they initiated the modern Theosophical movement through disseminating their teachings via Blavatsky.
In the essay “Other Criteria” (1972), the American scholar and critic Leo Steinberg criticized Greenberg from an art-historical point of view, stating that in Greenberg’s
“formalist ethic, the ideal critic remains unmoved by the artist’s expressive intention, uninfluenced by his culture, deaf to his irony or iconography, and so proceeds undistracted, programmed like an Orpheus making his way out of Hell.” In light of such criticism, throughout the second half of the 20th century there were art historians/critics who did not follow the approach of Greenberg.
Is Chinese Growth Overstated: From Liberty Street Economics.
The war on drugs. The war on poverty. The war on obesity. The AI war. Finally, the looming war with China. Similarly speaking, the cold war between 1950-to -1990’s with Russia has been extensively documented thought history.
The West competitive economic agency with Chinese currency manipulation is one notable GDP benchmark to study. While being critical to government entities and policy driven agendas. We support Chinese culture, music, philosophy and personal ethical values as a people’s collective.
We value individuality of freedom between ourselves and folks inside China, looking to express non-social realism art forms. One notable criticism coming out of conspiracy theorist circles is China’s intellectual property (IP) violations. All truthful values.
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